Rating: 
Summary: A visually stunning, mesmerizing experience
Review: The Cell is quite simply an incredible motion picture, straddling several genres while forging an identity uniquely its own. The concept of mind-linking is a little futuristic, but the plot remains strong and believable from start to finish. The acting is terrific, especially on the part of Jennifer Lopez and Vincent D'Onofrio. The visual effects are stunning, intricately detailed, and mesmerizing, to say the least. In terms of content, the movie can be disturbing and perhaps horrifying to some individuals, but there is nothing I would characterize as gratuitous gore. Besides the sheer beauty of this film, I was greatly impressed by the symmetry of the presentation; this applies to single scenes as well as the movie as a whole.J. Lo plays psychologist Catherine Deane; in an attempt to reach a comatose boy, she employs an advanced technology to link with and actually enter the mind of her patient; this is an experimental treatment that produces results very slowly. She soon finds herself asked to do a rush job on a certain man named Carl Stargher. Stargher is a truly demented serial killer whose brain decides to shut down completely just before the police catch him. In a bold attempt to locate the killer's most recent victim, who has only hours to live based on the killer's m.o., the authorities ask Deane to try and communicate with the otherwise unreachable mind of the killer. Running the risk of becoming trapped inside the madman's demented mind, Deane agrees to embark on a mental journey of surreal, mind-altering proportions. Obviously, a serial killer's mind is a dark, disturbing place. The visual effects of that journey are stunning, marked with incredible beauty as well as nightmarish horror. One is hard pressed to describe this facet of the movie; it is an experience that must be seen to be appreciated. What may strike viewers as most disturbing, though, are the crimes and acts of Stargher. Stargher abducts women, keeping them in an automated torture cell for a couple of days before killing them, bleaching their bodies to make them doll-like creatures. He doesn't stop there, but I won't get into the details of his ultimate purposes. DVD technology really brings out the great subtlety of the visual effects and highlights the incredible attention to detail on the part of the filmmakers. The extra features are also excellent and diverse. The ability to gain insight into the director's ideas and purposes is most welcome for such an unusual film, and the deleted scenes add depth and further insight into the minds of both Stargher and Deane. There are so many reasons to buy this movie. I think some people avoid The Cell for fear of its disturbing aspects, but I think such perceptions are unwarranted. There is certainly a lot of material here for horror fans to love, and some viewers probably will not fall in love with the movie the way I did, but lovers of well-made movies will find themselves mesmerized by this cinematic masterpiece.
Rating: 
Summary: interesting but...
Review: Not bad feature debut from commercials director Tarsem Singh.The visuals are a treat but to be honest the whole thing is too stylized and mannered to be really scary.It's all very inventive though and is definitely worth a look.
Rating: 
Summary: Visually amazing
Review: Is this a good movie? The answer... is no.
But it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. A number of the low reviews focus on the graphic nature of the film. If you are sensitive to gore and violence this is not the film for you. Graphic content does not make a movie inherently bad, it just may not be what you want to watch. The rest of the poor reviews are generally merited complaints on the acting, writing, and overused nature of the "mind of a serial killer" genre. But I think those complaints could really be applied to any "mind of a serial killer" movie. Silence of the lambs is a good movie, but it's not that good. Perhaps I'm just not a fan of the genre, but the visual nature of this movie sets it one step above most in my mind. As it stands right now The Cell is the only movie I have ever been thanked for recommending to someone. He said he never would have went to see the movie if I hadn't suggested it and was so glad that I did. If you want to see a visually beautiful movie I would recommend this one to you also.
Rating:
Summary: Horrifying and Heartbreaking
Review: This film uses a low key style and horrifying images of a shattered mind to create a suspenseful and thoughtful thriller about the effects of child abuse. The earthy and sensual Jennifer Lopez leaves her J.LO image behind and loses herself in this frightening film filled with mesmerizing images of a skizoid murderer who is the only link to a kidnapped girl who's life hangs in the balance. He is in a coma and can not tell them where she is. Catherine Deane (Lopez) is a researcher using an experimental method to actually enter the mind of mentaly ill children and try to help them. When serial killer Carl Stragher (Vincent D'Onofrio) arrives in a coma she is asked to use this technique and enter his mind to save the life of his latest kidnapped victim, who has not been found. Vince Vaughn gives a quiet but effective performance as F.B.I. agent Peter Novak, who may have personal reasons for wanting Catherine to help. But the fractured mind of the child she has been treating pales in comparison to the deeply horrifying mind of Carl Stragher. Stark and disturbing images wait in the corridors of Stragher's mind, but once she meets the young and sweet Stragher as a child and witnesses the heartbreaking abuse he endures, she may be able to form a connection and find the girl. Things are OK for Catherine until something goes wrong and she is no longer in Stragher's mind, where she can tap the "safe" button and return to reality. The demon like Stragher crosses over and enters her mind, where his frightening creations and the Dali images become terrifyingly real. Novak goes after her into Stragher's twisted nightmare to save Catherine and both barely survive. But a bond has been formed with the young sweet boy who once was Carl Stragher and she must try to find the strength to grant his wish, which will mean going back in one last lime. I won't spoil anything if you haven't seen this film but there is an almost spiritual good vs. evil here as the beautiful Catherine must protect a small and frightened boy from this nightmare. Director Tarsem Singh has created a film with the horror of Thomas Harris's novel "Red Dragon". It is not something you will soon forget and not something you should watch alone. It is a reminder of how fragile the mind really is and how it can be irrevocably changed by the environment of our childhood. It is not a film for the timid or faint of heart, but if you can handle it, here it is....
Rating:
Summary: The Cell: Surreal Does Not Mean Real
Review: A dying criminal has vital knowledge secreted somewhere in his brain and an intrepid woman uses the latest technology to meld her mind with his only to find a surreal, blighted inner kaleidoscopic series of images that mimic the external world so thoroughly that the woman cannot differentiate between the two. If this sounds like an episode from STAR TREK:DEEP SPACE NINE then the viewer could be forgiven for confusing this inner voyage for the one that occurs in the more colorful but less sensible film, THE CELL. Clearly, director Tarsem Singh did his homework in studying not only this STAR TREK episode, but every other medium that contains references to a journey from the outer limits to the inner mind. The plot which involves a mental health worker (Jennifer Lopez) seeking to enter the mind of a comatose killer is merely a prop upon which to hang some of the most colorful and disturbing images that I have ever seen. The 'driver' of the movie is a ticking clock that dictates that should she fail to gain vital information from the mind of the killer (Vincent D'Onofrio) about the location of one of his victims, then that victim will die. The problem with this premise--as with the same premise from the STAR TREK episode--is that the audience is necessarily guided to see the journey more in terms of enjoying the ride than in keeping their eyes on the mundane goal of data extraction. Lopez's journey into the killer's mind places her in a landscape not unlike the one inhabited by the poor unfortunates of a Freddy Krueger nightmare. Every step reveals a treacherous inversion of the normal chain of cause and effect. Things happen that in the external world would involve predictable consequence but in this inner world the only consequence lies more in the audience's mind rather than in Miss Lopez's mind. The contents of this inner mind are too pat to be believable. Miss Lopez finds not only the killer as he is now but a younger more boyish version before he became hardened to killing. At this point, director Singh introduces a subplot as he plays off Lopez's wish to aid the innocent boy version against his more evil future self. The boy bears an uncanny resemblance to Joel Haley Osment of THE SIXTH SENSE. My major problem with THE CELL was the way in which Singh juxtaposes the twin worlds of outer true reality with the pseudo reality of the inner. The ending, which I shall not reveal here, suggests that the entire mental journey into the mind of the killer was not needed in the first place. Whenever any film sets me up to take a long and arduous ride, I'd like to think that it had a purpose other than merely getting me there.
Rating:
Summary: Bizarre
Review: I admit it; the only reason I went to see this movie is because I love looking at Jennifer Lopez (what man doesn't?). But I did grow out of that and I tried to look at the movie for what it was, but it was hard. I seriously couldn't tell what this movie is about. All I could understand (if I'm right) was that Jenny played a woman named Catherine who went into this virtual world to fight a demon. It didn't say why she was doing it, or what would happen if she DIDN'T do it, for example. Every time I watched the movie, it made less sense.
Rating:
Summary: Not horror, but nonetheless not for everyone...
Review: The past years Hollywood seemed to have re-invented the serial killer genre, because all of a sudden we were just loaded with masterpieces like Se7en and Scream. But then we got the spin-offs who were just going on on the succes of the good ones, like Urban Legend. So it became time to close it all off with a serial killer movie with an original spin. And that became The Cell. After all the things we've seen that serial killers do, it is time to explore why they do these things. And that's what puts The Cell above all the other thrillers; we get to have a look inside the head and mind of a killer (Carl Stargher) This brilliant move allows the director to do whatever he wants in the visual aspects and experiments as much as he likes. He has absolutely no boundaries, and that especially shows in the cruel, somewhat macabre scenes which shows what a sick mind Carl Stargher has. In the hands of a less talented director, this would have becomen some chaotic and even ugly mess, but Tarsem shows that he has style (although there are a lot people who would love to prove you otherwise) Things you see here seem to be brutal and sick (and they are) But you have to understand that that's what makes this film so good. It's in the perverse, over the top, sick, yet artistic sequences where Tarsem shows his real talent. This is what makes me curious for his next project. There's a big contrast between the scenes in the real world, which are sombre, depressing and colourless, and the ones in the mind of the killer. These scenes are just one visual, but bizarre feast for the eyes which is hard to explain; you just have to see it for yourself to understand what I mean. But I can tell you one thing: it's got some visuals which you won't forget untill after a few days after you've watched this movie. However, there are some problems. Catherine (Jennifer Lopez) walks into Carls younger self, and she, and with her the audience, gets to feel sympathy for Carl. The problem is that we are seeing Carl and his younger equivalent as 2 seperate individuals instead of one and Catherine's goal is to save the one and destroy the other. You see the problem? After seeing all the cruel thoughts in Carls mind, it's hard to believe Carl ones was this cute kid, although it does happen in real live. On the other hand, Carl's world perfectly portrays the world of such an individual. These things make you confused and make you think about "these kind of people". All these remarkable visuals need to have a score which equals it, and that is where Howard Shore kicks in. His music is, like most of the movie, different and strange. When listening to it for the first time it all just seems noice, just chaotic and hectic music which gives you a headache (no matter how loud you soundsystem is) But you'll get used to it, and then you'll see that it goes perfect with the movie. Another big thing in The Cell has been the performance of Jennifer Lopez. People still seem to think that popsingers can't act, and therefore they are allowed to criticise all their performances. I have to say that with this movie, Jennifer convinced me that she has enough talent for such big-budget movies. She gave us a convincing therapist. You won't get irritated by her performance, but you won't remember it long either. But don't worry, there are enough other things in this movie which you can't get out of your head after watching this. Even if you want to... I hope I've made clear that this movie is not something for everyone. Even horror fanatics don't have to like this. After all, this is not horror, but a psychological and experimental experience.
Rating:
Summary: Cool visuals not much else
Review: The twisted visuals in this film are beautiful and freakish. The visuals are the sole strength of this film everything else such as story, character development and any kind of sympathy for any of the characters, except the killer (not the kid version) well played by Vincent D'Onofrio, is totally lacking, I was hoping they would be stuffed into a slowly filling cell. Jennifer Lopez is, well Jennifer Lopez as if you can expect a star to actually be a good actor get real! Their face material. See this film BEFORE you buy it, its not that good.
Rating:
Summary: I have some issues with this movie.
Review: This would have been a beautiful movie, in all honesty, if Jennifer Lopez wasn't such a horrible actress. She always plays without any depth to her characters. It's really a shame that the casting person for this movie cared more about looks than skill. The other actors in this movie were great. The scenery was very beautiful (Yes, even in the psycho's mind... but I guess I'm just weird), the costumes were magnificent, and the most of the ideas in this film were great. But really, Jennifer Lopez makes any good movie look bad, and any already bad movie look worse. Am I the only one who doesn't see this?! So, I was disappointed. This movie angers me.
Rating:
Summary: I thought it worked
Review: I thought the intensity of the plot was good enough to overcome some of the tacky "video"-style special effects. I think the problem with many horror/psychotic thrillers is that usually moviegoers go in with the knowledge of exactly how the movie is going to end: girl needs to be saved and they are running out of time, just in the nick of time she is saved from the killer's plan. So, much if not all of these movies are based on how they are composed. The journey into a troubled person's mind was fascinating. I know this has probably been done before, but it was certainly enough to hold my attention. This movie is a lot like "Silence of the Lamb" , but it examines the mind of the killer, and what it is like to be "trapped" inside it. I think that Jennifer Lopez and Vince Vaughn were stellar in their roles and that, as a psychological thriller, the movie was good enough to be suspensful and disturbing. I'm not much into these type of thrillers, but this one worked. The parallel scenes at the end, Lopez releasing the killer from his "evil" self and Vaughn saving the woman from the killer, were cool.
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